Outbreak of DIV1 in China

A new virus is decimating shrimp farms in China's Guangdong province, with Indian shrimp producers also being put on high alert.

The virus, known as Decapod iridescent virus 1, or DIV1, was first detected as early as 2014, but came back with a vengeance last spring and again in February, affecting about a quarter of the area under shrimp production.

The spread of the disease, has left the shrimp industry in Guangdong concerned it will face mass deaths of a similar scale to the African swine fever crisis, which wiped out as much as 60 percent of China’s pig herd.